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Single Idea 17482

[filed under theme 27. Natural Reality / F. Chemistry / 1. Chemistry ]

Full Idea

The distinctness of the isomers ethanol (CH3CH2OH, boiling at 78.4°) and dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3, boiling at -24.9°) must lie in their different molecular structures. ...But structure has continuously varying quantities, like bond length and angle.

Clarification

The each have the same number of C, H and O atoms

Gist of Idea

Compounds can differ with the same collection of atoms, so structure matters too

Source

Robin F. Hendry (Chemistry [2008], 'Micro')

Book Ref

'Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science', ed/tr. Psillos,S/Curd,M [Routledge 2010], p.523

A Reaction

[compressed] This seems to imply that what matters is an idealised abstraction of the structure (i.e. its topology), which is a reason for denying that chemistry is reducible to mere physics.

Related Idea

Idea 15263 Chemistry is not purely structural; CO2 is not the same as SO2 [Harré/Madden]

The 20 ideas with the same theme [general ideas about behaviour of molecules]:

23185 In chemistry every substance pushes, and thus creates new substances [Nietzsche]
15259 Chemical atoms have two powers: to enter certain combinations, and to emit a particular spectrum [Harré/Madden]
15263 Chemistry is not purely structural; CO2 is not the same as SO2 [Harré/Madden]
14098 An acid is just a proton donor [Rosen]
20651 The shape of molecules is important, as well as the atoms and their bonds [Watson]
17482 Compounds can differ with the same collection of atoms, so structure matters too [Hendry]
17483 Water continuously changes, with new groupings of molecules [Hendry]
17392 How can poisonous elements survive in the nutritious compound they compose? [Scerri]
17391 Periodicity and bonding are the two big ideas in chemistry [Scerri]
17404 Chemistry does not work from general principles, but by careful induction from large amounts of data [Scerri]
17407 The electron is the main source of chemical properties [Scerri]
17409 Does radioactivity show that only physics can explain chemistry? [Scerri]
17415 A big chemistry idea is that covalent bonds are shared electrons, not transfer of electrons [Scerri]
17468 Over 100,000,000 compounds have been discovered or synthesised [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
17469 'H2O' just gives the element proportions, not the microstructure [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
17470 Water molecules dissociate, and form large polymers, explaining its properties [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
17473 It is unlikely that chemistry will ever be reduced to physics [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
17474 Quantum theory won't tell us which structure a set of atoms will form [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
17475 For temperature to be mean kinetic energy, a state of equilibrium is also required [Weisberg/Needham/Hendry]
17604 We are halfway to synthesising any molecule we want [New Sci.]